A small review for today as I’m at work right now and using emulation to play this game. It’s one of those games I played when my younger sibling has gotten a gameboy and it can with a bunch of gameboy games like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Battle unite Zeoth, and game and watch gallery 3. Out of those games, there were two games that came with it, one was a pack in game back then and the other is a sequel. I mean granted it can be Tetris and Tetris 2 but that’s not what I’m talking about. This is for a review for the mascot himself in a handheld game, Super Mario Land for Gameboy (used by emulation). 

Story : 7

From the manual, there is a place away from the  mushroom kingdom called Sarasaland, which an alien creature named Tatanga came from a dark cloud to conquer the land. Kidnapping the princess to marry her while controlling the citizens of this fine city, Mario heard of the events and traveled to Sarasaland to save the princess and restore peace or will he fail as the space creature marries Princess Daisy and take over the land?

It’s the same old Mario saves the Princess trope but instead of being Princess peach and Bowser it’s now about Princess Daisy and an alien from outer space. Weird but credit it due. 

It’s a 7 out of 10. Same old story but with different characters. Doesn’t get old at this moment. 

Graphics : 7 

The graphics were okay for a Gameboy launch title and a pack in game. Nothing too spectacular as it’s just the beginning of the system’s life cycle. You can definitely tell that it is Mario and the enemy sprites aren’t bad. Level designs are not that awful either, developers tried their best to make it feel like Mario but in their own variation. You’ve got green, dark green, light green, soft green and a dark dark green for color palettes which aren’t bad. (Yes it’s a joke)

Graphics is a 7 out of 10. It’s a decent try for a launch title for the system. 

Sound : 8

The music is surprisingly really good. It gives the stages a bit of personality when playing and to me, they’re iconic in my ears. From a more upbeat jingle in the first stage to an Egyptian feel of music and a variation of super Mario without it being super Mario jingle is a nice touch. Sound effects aren’t that bad. Little beeping noises for most and a noise that almost sounds like a fart? Not gonna lie listening to some sounds make me feel like it’s a Pokémon when playing (like an abra). Though it does its job. 

Sound is an 8 out of 10. 

Depth : 6

Game offers four stages with Birabuta, Muda, Easton, and Chai (from what the manual states). It also offers an airplane stage as the final stage against the boss. With the game it also offers some power ups with mushroom, a flower that gives a bouncing ball that’s definitely not a fireball, and a star for invincibility. The ending is pretty basic (not spoiling) with credits rolling. There’s not much to offer other than a bit of difficulty at some stages but at times it does offer a continue at the stage. Either way 

It’s a 6 out of 10. Game is pretty basic but it does its job for on the go play. 

Difficulty : 7

The game is a tad easy but Mario does control a bit weird. You have to get used to the gameplay, the monsters and ball power up. Some enemies will run at you in one direction, turtles explode when stomped on and stone lions shoot fire at you. They can be tedious (especially the robot) but easily manageable once you get the hang of the game. 

Difficulty is a 7 out of 10. Easy once you do some trial and error and used to the controls of the gameboy. 

Addictive : 6 

This game is mostly used back in the day for on the go playtime. It’s a decent pastime and gives an hour or so of fun while playing but can get easily bored these days since we’ve been exposed to better gaming. Back then this was pretty good. It still has its appeal but being basic I would give it a 

6 out 10. Its simple gameplay and design was good for the 90s. These days can get bored kinda easily. 

Overall this game is a good beginning for the red plumber on Nintendo’s newest handheld. Simple, fun, and portable as you can easily beat this in under an hour. It’s a game worth playing out of curiosity and if you want some nostalgia. The sequel improves on the idea and honestly, I’ll probably do a review on Mario Land 2 next and show how different it is to this. 

My rating : 8.0 out of 10

Review rating : 6.8 out of 10 (it doesn’t do justice but that’s the average)

I remember playing this game and yes it was a good launch for the game boy. However, I liked the second game better because it introduced us to Wario. The third game you got to play as Wario. But this was a good start and it introduced us to Daisy. Daisy would go on to become Luigi's girlfriend according to Nintendo.

I did not get to play this game until I got an emulator. I tried playing this game when it first came out and due to my vision I had problems. Years later when I got the emulator I gave this game a second chance it was much better.